In a year when seemingly everything that could go wrong has, there was this oddity: Catcher Travis d’Arnaud starting at third base for the first time in his professional career, and rotating to second with Asdrubal Cabrera to avoid having to field any balls put in play.

When infielders Jose Reyes and Wilmer Flores were scratched following batting practice, because each was bothered by a sore left rib-cage muscle they suffered Tuesday night, d’Arnaud was moved from catcher to third base.

But he didn’t stay at third. Twenty-three times he switched spots with Cabrera, depending on the hitter and the likelihood of where the ball could wind up. He only had one play to field, a Todd Frazier pop-up, and he handled it cleanly.

“I did it myself [once as a player in the minor leagues],” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “I told them before the game, ‘Look, I’ve seen this done before.’ Not that it’s always going to work, but it was the only option we had. That was all we had to work with today.”

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The move impressed Collins’ counterpart, Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who described it as “kind of brilliant.”

“I thought it was really smart on Terry’s part,” Girardi said.

The only other time d’Arnaud played another position in pro ball was way back in 2012, when he started two games at first base for Triple-A Las Vegas. But he didn’t hesitate when asked to play the infield.

“I wanted to make a diving play. I wanted to make a diving play down the line, to rob someone of a base hit like people do to me,” said d’Arnaud, who went 0-for-3 with a sacrifice fly. “It was fun. I wish we would’ve won, though.”

This musical-chairs infield will likely not continue. Collins said the Mets will call up at least one infielder, if not two, from Las Vegas. Matt Reynolds and Gavin Cecchini are the likely options. Reyes and Flores both left Citi Field before the game to get looked at by doctors.

But at least d’Arnaud now has bragging rights over his brother, Chase, a journeyman infielder now in the Padres minor league system.

“My fielding percentage in the infield has to be better than his. One-for-one,” he said jokingly. “So I’ll be sure to talk to him [about that].”